Friends joined us for what would have been our Friday night family night this week. We decorated some gingerbread cookies, had pizza for dinner and then the kids played for a good two hours while the mom's had adult, uninterrupted conversation.
Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
05 December 2009
Cookie Decorating with Friends
Friends joined us for what would have been our Friday night family night this week. We decorated some gingerbread cookies, had pizza for dinner and then the kids played for a good two hours while the mom's had adult, uninterrupted conversation.
24 November 2008
Monday, Monday
It's the last Monday of November! We had a busy weekend, hence the short little list posts.
On Saturday we hung out at home until it was time to go and see George's sister perform as the lead in her high school production of Grease.
The play was really well done and by the time it was over Lorelei was pretty much asleep on my shoulder. <3
Sunday we hung out at home and finished our Christmas tree. It looks really nice now that all the ornaments are hung carefully in just the right place. We each got one new ornament this year and someday when the kids have homes of their own we'll give them "their" ornaments to decorate their own trees. Lorelei got a pretty ballerina with a feathery tu-tu and Caleb got a little "man" made of baseballs. And, for the first time ever, we've put lights out in the yard to decorate for the holidays! This will be only our second Christmas in the house since we bought it five years ago.
Today was a regular old school day. We did wake up however to a light snow which put me in a panic because neither of the kids had boots. No boots, no recess. So, I dropped the kids off at school and then George and I went over to Target and picked them up the size we assumed would fit based on the shoes they currently wear. Apparently, that was a good guess and they are both pleased with their new boots. The snow melted though, so they were entirely unnecessary -- this time.
While we were at Target, we saw this:
It's a Crock Pot Buffet Cooker. If we had anywhere to store one, I probably would have picked it up. The crock's themselves are only 2.5 quarts, but there are THREE of them. It's a crock potters dream!
I've got my crock pot going tonight with some faux BBQ Chicken. Here's the recipe if anyone is interested:
Ingredients:
1 20oz bottle of Diet Coke
2 cups of ketchup
2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast
Directions:
Mix together the Diet Coke and ketchup. Pour over chicken. Heat on high for 5 hours. Shred chicken before serving. You can put this with mashed potatoes and a vegetable, or put on buns for something less formal. Totally delish!
On Saturday we hung out at home until it was time to go and see George's sister perform as the lead in her high school production of Grease.
The play was really well done and by the time it was over Lorelei was pretty much asleep on my shoulder. <3
Sunday we hung out at home and finished our Christmas tree. It looks really nice now that all the ornaments are hung carefully in just the right place. We each got one new ornament this year and someday when the kids have homes of their own we'll give them "their" ornaments to decorate their own trees. Lorelei got a pretty ballerina with a feathery tu-tu and Caleb got a little "man" made of baseballs. And, for the first time ever, we've put lights out in the yard to decorate for the holidays! This will be only our second Christmas in the house since we bought it five years ago.
Today was a regular old school day. We did wake up however to a light snow which put me in a panic because neither of the kids had boots. No boots, no recess. So, I dropped the kids off at school and then George and I went over to Target and picked them up the size we assumed would fit based on the shoes they currently wear. Apparently, that was a good guess and they are both pleased with their new boots. The snow melted though, so they were entirely unnecessary -- this time.
While we were at Target, we saw this:
It's a Crock Pot Buffet Cooker. If we had anywhere to store one, I probably would have picked it up. The crock's themselves are only 2.5 quarts, but there are THREE of them. It's a crock potters dream!
I've got my crock pot going tonight with some faux BBQ Chicken. Here's the recipe if anyone is interested:
Ingredients:
1 20oz bottle of Diet Coke
2 cups of ketchup
2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast
Directions:
Mix together the Diet Coke and ketchup. Pour over chicken. Heat on high for 5 hours. Shred chicken before serving. You can put this with mashed potatoes and a vegetable, or put on buns for something less formal. Totally delish!
12 November 2008
Score One for Cooler Temps
If there is one positive to cooler weather, it's that I want to cook when it's cold. I like having the oven on when the temperatures outside aren't as pleasant as I'd prefer. I love it when the crock pot is on all day filling the house with delicious smells.
George, Caleb and I are not picky eaters so that just leaves Lorelei to try and please. I've been looking for awhile this morning to see what recipes peak my interest, and more notably get my crock pot going.
So far, these three sound super delicious:
Cranberry Pork Roast
Ingredients:
16oz cranberry sauce
3tbsp & 1 3/4 tsp french salad dressing
2/3 onion, sliced
3lbs boneless pork loin roast
Directions:
Mix together cranberry sauce, dressing and onion. Cover the roast with sauce and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
Delicious Pot Roast
Ingredients:
1 beef roast
1 pkg. dry brown gravy
1 pkg. dry Italian dressing
1 pkg. dry Ranch dressing
1/2 cup water
Directions:
Deliver roast to crock pot. Mix gravy and dressing mixes. Sprinkle over roast. Pour water around roast. Cook on low 7-9 hours.
Tator Tot Casserole
Ingredients:
1 1/2lbs ground beef/turkey
1 can peas or green beans
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3/4 cup milk
1 tbsp minced onion
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
shredded cheese
frozen tator tots
Directions:
Brown the beef or turkey. Layer meat, veggie then tator tots on top. Mix soup, milk, onion, salt and pepper and pour over the layers. Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Top with cheese and bake an additional 20 minutes.
They sound good don't they? And super simple? And warm!
I'm very much a "roast" girl. I love my meat and potato dishes. What I like most about these recipes is they don't require a ton of ingredients and they aren't weird ingredients. They could all be used in other recipes if I decided I didn't want one of the above as a meal. Did I mention they sound good?
George, Caleb and I are not picky eaters so that just leaves Lorelei to try and please. I've been looking for awhile this morning to see what recipes peak my interest, and more notably get my crock pot going.
So far, these three sound super delicious:
Cranberry Pork Roast
Ingredients:
16oz cranberry sauce
3tbsp & 1 3/4 tsp french salad dressing
2/3 onion, sliced
3lbs boneless pork loin roast
Directions:
Mix together cranberry sauce, dressing and onion. Cover the roast with sauce and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
Delicious Pot Roast
Ingredients:
1 beef roast
1 pkg. dry brown gravy
1 pkg. dry Italian dressing
1 pkg. dry Ranch dressing
1/2 cup water
Directions:
Deliver roast to crock pot. Mix gravy and dressing mixes. Sprinkle over roast. Pour water around roast. Cook on low 7-9 hours.
Tator Tot Casserole
Ingredients:
1 1/2lbs ground beef/turkey
1 can peas or green beans
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3/4 cup milk
1 tbsp minced onion
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
shredded cheese
frozen tator tots
Directions:
Brown the beef or turkey. Layer meat, veggie then tator tots on top. Mix soup, milk, onion, salt and pepper and pour over the layers. Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Top with cheese and bake an additional 20 minutes.
They sound good don't they? And super simple? And warm!
I'm very much a "roast" girl. I love my meat and potato dishes. What I like most about these recipes is they don't require a ton of ingredients and they aren't weird ingredients. They could all be used in other recipes if I decided I didn't want one of the above as a meal. Did I mention they sound good?